Video: Warp Into A Star Nursery 3,000 Light Years Away

Zoom! This video brings you up close to a region where a bunch of stars are being born. This new video from the European Southern Observatory shows a so-called an HII region made up of hydrogen gas, which is a common feature of nurseries. Another famous example is the Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation.

“This zoom sequence shows the location of the star formation region Gum 15 in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sails),” the European Southern Observatory stated. “This little known object is located in a spectacular part of the Milky Way. The final detailed view comes from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.”

A press release from a couple of weeks ago pointed out that the offspring in the cloud will eventually destroy the nursery, but for now we have this beautiful view (and video) to enjoy.

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By Elizabeth Howell
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Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.